Love Notes and Murder -- JeffMads 50's AU

I

The diner was loud. A little too loud for my liking, but it's what environment this had to go down in.

My partner, Seabury, slid into the booth across from me. He was clearly disheveled.

"Don't you ever try and pet a street cat, mean little buggers." He set his hat on the table.

I raised an eyebrow.

"Not a word."

"Hullo, the name's Maria and I'll be your server today. Anything I can get you, folks?" She pulled out a notepad from her apron pocket.

She was good looking, for a girl, at least. She actually looked good in the red uniforms they made the employees wear.

"I'll take a chocolate milkshake and some fries," Seabury said.

"And for you?"

"Vanilla milkshake, please."

"Of course, Dear. I'll have those out here in a jiffy." She left us alone.

"Okay, the guy behind me, leather jacket, he's our man."

I peeked over Seabury's shoulder. There he was alright, Charles Lee, our main suspect. He was sharing a plate of fries with a girl. Possibly his girlfriend... it was too early to tell.

"Alright, I'm going to use the Gentleman's." I got up.

I walked past the couple.

"This is the best 1 month anniversary I've ever had," the girl said as she stared into Lee's eyes.

"Only the best for you, Bella." Lee touched her hand.

Definitely together. That was good to know.

In the bathroom, I washed my hands.

When I walked past them again the girl was gone and Lee was ruffling through a billfold for money.

That was fishy.

He looked up at me.

Shit.

Keep walking, don't blow your cover, James.

"Excuse me, mate? Do you happen to have a dollar to spare? I'm out with my girl and well, I want to impress her, you know?" Lee asked me.

"Right. Sure." Giving him a dollar couldn't hurt anyone. I gave him two.

I slid back into the booth.

"Did you just give a serial killer money?!" Seabury whispered loudly.

"Potential."

"What?"

"Potential serial killer. We don't know if he is actually the killer, yet. What we do know is that he has a girlfriend of one month, named Bella, possibly a nickname. And that he didn't have any money on him." I took a long draw from my shake. "He'll be leaving soon, he was paying for his food."

He nodded, slowly. "Let's go out in the car."

Seabury placed a ten-dollar bill on the table as we left. The waitress was going to flip when she saw that.

He got into the driver's seat of our Hudson, me the passenger. Seabury offered me some gum and I declined.

I was pretty sure Seabury didn't like me. I was new to the agency, fresh out of university. He got assigned with me since his last partner participated in extensive coercion. We weren't allowed to talk about it.

This was the biggest case the small town had seen since 1912. Why we were tasked to it was beyond me.

"Ah, there he goes." Seabury pointed to the diner doors.